Going up in the world…

For 6 years a very small, one room Granny flat has been our home base. For 4 years we meandered around Australia in Matilda our small, very small Toyota Hiace camper van. (Jack called it our sardine can!!!) Usually coming home for a few weeks over Christmas before setting off again on another adventure.

Then we began doing more house sitting. So for the next 2 years we flew around Australia to various locations, enjoying the opportunity to become part of a community for the duration of our house sit. And we sold Matilda.

After 6 years of almost constant travel we could feel another change of life style creeping up on us. It was time to settle down again. The catalyst came 2 weeks ago, when our dear friends, who had cared for our house and garden for those 6 years, decided it was time for them to move on too.

The Granny flat is behind the bottom right hand window and over the past 2 weeks we have slowly, very slowly, transported all our worldly goods, piece by piece, up those 15 steps and arranged them in a minimalist style in our new habitat. (not much furniture was needed in the Granny flat and we had down-sized in a big way 6 years ago). We now have the luxury of 3 bedrooms. One to sleep in and one each as our play room…

So life has changed. Time to settle down. Spend more time in the garden and getting back into our various hobbies, or just sit on the sunny decks and reflect on life.

From the back deck I can now see over the top of the trees and shrubs into the neighbour’s garden and just look at what is in flower…

This Tibouchinas is in full flower. I have planted one in the front garden but it will be a few years before it is flowering like this. I have put this in for my blogging buddy Meg who has just gone to Warsaw for a year to stay near family and share in the life of her 2 mischievous twin grandchildren. Her descriptions of life in her adopted country will take you on cyber wings to experience life in Warsaw. (follow along here)

Being up 2 stories I am now on a level with the top of the Grevillia tree and I spotted this blue-eyed honeyeater and he defiantly eye-balled me right back.

Jude is looking for wild life in the garden in her “garden photography” challenge. Take a look here.

Being home for Easter is a novelty, so tomorrow we will be inundated with the family, 3 sons, 2 daughters-in-law and 5 Grandchildren. What a lovely way to start this new stay at home year.

I wish you all a very happy Easter however you may celebrate it. And if you are travelling please take care.

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55 thoughts on “Going up in the world…”

I bet you knew you had carried your furniture up those 15 steps 🙂 by the time you had finished.. So pleased to see you are now taking time out to relax more and do all of those wonderful hobbies you and Jack love doing..
Loved that purple Tibouchinas, fabulous.. 🙂 Enjoy your ‘quieter time’ 🙂 although I doubt there will be much resting lol 🙂 .. _/\_

Jack didn’t need to go to the gym that week Sue!!! At the moment I am home alone as Jack has gone for a week with his eldest son and 2 grandsons into the outback, about 1000kms west to Jason’s opal lease to try their luck.

A lovely place to start another chapter, GC such a good place too, whatever other people say just love it, we may now bump in to you and Jack sometimes, still think of your Garden when we visited with The Garden Club, Maybe you should be a an Ambassador for the GC with all the pics you have of the GC.

Everyone seems to be on the move – to Melbourne, to Cornwall, to Warsaw – and upstairs. I’m thinking that maybe upstairs could be the biggest move. Enjoy life with playrooms, not that you didn’t manage to play before! And thank you for the Tibouchina.

We belong to a very mobile community in WP and it is so interesting following all the various travels and moves. Our move was not far in distance but I hate to think how many steps we climbed taking everything back upstairs. All settled in now. Time to start the next chapter.

Happy Easter to you two. Do enjoy the new space. This Easter is at home and quiet. I am making an attempt to paint one outside wall a nice bright blue. The neighbours should like that….change from brown! The garden has just had a drop of rain and we are in cloudy mist again tonight due to the storms. Such is Maleny after rain, but it an amazing green as well. Wishing you all a happy time.
Love Marilyn

I am sorry I haven’t answered you Pauline. I write and then get lost in events. This morning I am up early with a toothache! Damn, bugger, bum as I haven’t had one since I was a kid. I am trying to read all the posts to keep my mind off the ache and the clove oil applied. Of course it’s Sunday with a holiday tomorrow!!!!! Will try After Hours’ a little later. We have been here 3 months now and, like yours, the garden is growing. I am impatient for growth and these heavy showers and high humidity we are getting has given it another burst. I shall download some pics on my wordpress site and send them. I am getting together a little cottage on the block and maybe you two would like a few days exploring the lovely Maleny and surrounds Still a bit to go yet so it might be Winter! You would be most welcome. I will keep you informed. Uuuugh I’m not keen on toothache. Thanks for writing back. Love Marilyn

Ah yes toothache, not nice, I commiserate with you, I have just had 4 pulled out last Thursday!!!! That cottage stay would be glorious, both to meet you and explore the area. Thanks for the offer. Keep in touch and take it easy on this wet and dismal Sunday.

Awwh! There’s such a lovely feelgood, at peace with the world, sense to this, Pauline. 🙂 Whatever the changes you still have your beautiful garden. Wishing you and Jack much joy this Easter, and always. 🙂

All the best for your new old home – I hope you had something sweet when you first moved back in (I don’t know where that tradition comes from, but we always do it in our family – something sweet for the new abode). Our Old Blue Van has finally had its renovations and is on its way around Oz, starting at Bateman’s Bay (well, that was the plan – we haven’t heard from the new owners since they left yesterday). And yes, it did look a bit like a sardine tin when they set off! They had experimented by sleeping in it for a few days before they departed.

Really great to hear from you. Wow time alone!!! How are your lovely dogs? I’m looking after next doors chooks for a few days, easy care, but after declaring I would not have any veggie garden I am already planting stuff…Hope you had a happy Easter

A lovely blog. I didn’t meet your friends when we visited your lovely homely flat but you spoke of them so warmly.I hope the have found a new home as lovely as the one they are leaving. Enjoy your new adventure, your space and the opportunity to spread your wings. I hope that next summer will be a “cooler” one for you (I remember hearing that big cool air con running) and that you continue to enjoy those beautiful treetop views. Happy Easter Pauline and Jack.

Lovely to hear from you. Yes the stairs had become a problem for R n J so now they are in an apartment with gorgeous views over the Broadwater. We have room for you to come and stay here now if you are down this way. How is the feline family?

How wonderful to settle down a bit more! A new chapter in life – and growing. I hope to settle down a bit more as well. After many years we “deleted” our kitchen garden – no one had the time to look after it. This spring i have started it again (smaller scale…)since I have quit my job – feels so good!
Have a joyful Easter with all your big family!

How lovely for you and Jack. Everything happens at the right time, and I’m sure this has happened at the right time for you. It must be so nice to have your home back again. That honey eater looks very stern-faced. 🙂

Although travel is stimulating and provides invaluable perspective on life, there is a lot to be said for staying in one place for awhile. You can probe much more deeply into your local community, take advantage of a wide array of learning opportunities, volunteer, undertake garden experiments, and pursue all kinds of creative interests. Plus, in your case, you can spread out a little. Have fun with this new chapter.

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60 something female, ( now 70 I have been doing this blog 3 years) fit and active, loves travel, reading, walking. Born in Yorkshire, UK. Moved to New Zealand, love the country. Became a "Kiwi" lived there 37 years, son and daughter still live there. Moved to Australia because I now live with and love an Australian that I met in NZ and am now an Aussie citizen.